Elder Child is serving in the Hermosillo Mexico Mission....This is where all of his adventures and pictures will be shared....Enjoy!
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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

I
am not sure how or what to feel right now as I will depart for home
tomorrow...These 2 years have been the greatest of my life...But I know
that it doesnt end right now, how it is when a person is baptized...your
life doesnt end in that moment but it is merely beginning...I am highly
grateful for this opportunity to have served on this mission...

This
past week in Imuris was great...We kept working super hard until Sunday
when I left...We had 2 baptisms on Satuday..I will send pictures
later...It was a great way to end my service here...On Sunday, I was
asked to speak in the Sacrament meeting....And everyone sang God Be with
you till we meet again, to end the meeting...We were able to make a
Family Home Evening appointment Sunday evening...we shared a message and
then we sang another parting song and shared cake....Everyone, myself
include, were crying...I kind of lost it...I felt sad for leaving them
especially when we had progessed so much together...But I know that they
will be just fine without me...If they stick to the things that we
taught them, they will be perfectly fine...I love these people so
much...

This
is the greatest work on this Earth...This Church is true...The Complete
Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in this dispensation...The
Priesthood Power and Keys of God have been restored, and thanks to these
Keys, President Monson recieves direction and revelation for us...

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Hello Everyone!...It has been a wonderful week here in Imuris...I love
being a missionary soooo much....I am not quite sure what I will do in a
week..but that can wait haha...This week I spent a lot of time helping
the organization of the Branch...

We
also were able to help a few humble members with a little allotement of
food...One of which has just come up with serious heart problems and
cant walk very much...It touched my heart when we were able to take him
to buy a little food...It made me remember when a few weeks ago I
recieved a tithing envelope with 1 peso as tithing and 1 other peso for
Fast Offering...And thanks to many children and people that pay what
they can as a Fast offering so that more people can eat and recieve a
little help..When I reflect on these sacred funds...I think of all of
the many sacrifices of all the members of the church all around the
world...that might not even have enough for their needs but they take
one Sunday a month and live the Law of the Fast and pay a generous fast
offering...thanks to these funds These members have recieved Heaven sent
assistance...

We
are so blessed....We do not even comprehend how blessed we are...Thanks
to the mission I have been able to see a little more of what we have...

Sorry for such a short experience this week...dont have a lot of time...

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Well it
is hard to believe but I only have 15 days left...Truely I dont feel
like anythings going to change...I feel like another transfer is going
to arrive and I will stay in this little town for atleast another
transfer before God sends me to another town here in Sonora...After so
long away from your family you accept that wont see them to soon
haha...So I guess what will happen in 2 weeks...

We
are having lots of success here in Imuris...The Branch is really
growing...I cant even start to explain how much really it has grown
since we got here...Here is one example before we got here about 13
people were attending this little branch...we arrived and had a meeting
with the District President in Nogales..he said that this little branch
is at risk of closing there just wasnt enough people going to church
anymore...We kind of got scared...Since then we have worked our hardest,
prayed many times every day, fasted up to 2 times a week, and have
hoped for the best for this little branch....Yesterday in Church we had
an attendance of 42 people...the little room filled as everyone bore
their testimonies. The Maintenance people told us today that they will
be fixing up our little house were we have our Sunday meetings...putting
in artificial grass, tile, new paint, and maybe even taking out a wall
to make our Sacrament Room bigger haha We have just seen this little
town turn around...We know that our efforts were just a fraction of the
work needed to have the results that we have seen here...We know that
God is greatly blessing this town and all of the members here...

Saturday
night we had a Branch Activity watching Meet the Mormons! No one has
seen that movie here so we thought we would do a huge activity and
invite everyone...All the members brought a snack and a friend :) Again
our little Sacrament room filled up with lots of members and about 15
investigators...It was great...Elder Hyatt and I were busy running
around refilling popcorn bowls and cups of Mango water...Boy were we
tired...Finishing the movie when it was showing the scene about the
missionary leaving his home for 2 years...Everyone just started
crying...After, everyone was saying good bye to us with tears in their
eyes just wanting to know more about the wonderful message that we share
for 2 years...

I sure love this work...Cant imagine my life without it....

Love you guys

Elder Child

Making Schmores!!!

Its kind of hard to see in the picture but it rained really hard this
week, People say that it is the hardest it has ever rained for about 70
years...You can see water coming off of the roof...its like it was a
whole river coming off that roof...Only day in my mission where my feet
were completely soaked haha...

This
week was great...we continue to find lots of people here in
Imuris...There are more less active members that have been starting to
go again to church and we are having some more investigators going as
well...

Miracles
are happening every day...One day while we were knocking doors. we
found a little boy...who told us that his mother was busy inside...He
told us to pass by another day...So we went around knocking more
doors...we passed by the street where this little boy lived again, and
he ran out and told us that his mother was able to talk to us...We
passed by and the Mother started talking to us about the different
religions that there are in Imuris...(there are a lot) She started
asking the right questions...She asked us how she could know which
church is the true one? and we were quick to respond...Pray...and ask
God....She thought that was weird because the other churches just say to
trust them...haha...So we shared our message and she was reading the
Book of Mormon before we even left...haha She is a wonderful person. I
swear the secret to Missionary Work is the Book of Mormon and Prayer...I
know that God directs this work...and that we are His Servants...

Other
fun experience was that on Sunday the Primary teacher didnt show
up...so we got to teach all of the kids of the branch on Following the
Prophet...Attached you will find a picture of the pictures everyone
drew...After 2 hours of teaching these kids I enjoyed the 5 minutes of
peace coloring time brought...Hahaha

Love you all

Elder Child

Primary in Imuris!

Its ALL in the BOOK!

All of the Americans that were in the MTC together were reunited once again to go to the Temple...

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Elder
Hyatt and I had a great week this past week we found more new
investigators and we spent lots of time teaching...it was great...

We
are still trying to get used to being the only missionaries in the
city...And having quite an area to cover haha...We are having to walk
quite a bit to get to our appointments...But we usually take advantage
of the time to contact new people...

We had many spiritual experiences this week but today I will share just one...

On
Tuesday we were walking to the lunch and a few men that were pretty
drunk called us over...so we head over to talk to this man who seemed
very depressed judging by how much he was drinking...he told of his
story...and we felt like he was to under the influence to be helped so
we excused ourselves...and we thought that we would never see him
again...Saturday night as we were walking to the house trying to find
one more person to teach at 8:30 we were guided to a door where we
knocked...A man walked out to greet us and we didnt recognize him at
first...he said that he was the drunk man we had talked too...We were
quite suprised he had stopped drinking after our previous visit and had
shaved and got a Hair cut...he looked like a new man...Were able to teach
him the message of the Restoration...He was very receptive saying that
he was ready to change his life...and leave all the alcohol behind...He
was so happy after that message...He is excited to go to church this
weekend and to keep progressing to leave all his sins behind...I hope so
much that he can be able to progress and find a new life in Christ...

We hope to keep going strong this week working towards our Baptismal Goal for this transfer...

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

This week was
wonderful!! It has truly been nice to get back in the swing of things
and just focus on my area and my little branch...

A
few things about Imuris...there are about 10,000 people here and the
Branch is quite small..yesterday we had about 30 people in
church...which is really cool...My companion is Elder Hyatt from Texas
and has about 6 months in the mission...We are quite enjoying our
time...and working super hard...we are all out of pamphlets and Books of
Mormon already so we will have to go up to Nogales to grab some more
materials tomorrow haha...

We
have a goal to knock every door in this little town in the time I have
left as a Missionary...so we have been walking and knocking and walking
some more to accomplish this goal so that we can find more people to
teach...We have an amazing Baptismal Goal that we have set with a lot of
faith...that we truly believe that can happen in this little town...It
is amazing to see how many people God is putting in out path....For
example one day as we were knocking doors we found a family that had
just moved from Michoacan the day before...and it was a whole family
that is ready to listen to the Gospel...The hot days are pretty long
just knocking doors but God always places someone in our path to keep
our Spirits bright...In total we found almost 30 new investigators after
knocking this week...

One
experience that I had this past week was on Sunday...It was a little
crazy for our first Sunday in the House of Prayer (small house converted
into a chapel) My companion was busy teaching classes and I was busy
with all of the Administrative things...After our 3 hours of meetings I
had a list of things to do with a number of people... and on our way to
the lunch I started thinking about everyone of the members and their
needs...I feel a great love and worry for every one of them...I thought
to myself that there was a ridiculous amount of things to do...after
arriving at the lunch I looked up on the wall and saw a picture of the
First Presidency and then thought "How can they do it?...with all of the
needs of all the members in the whole world" ....Then looking at the
opposite facing wall..where a picture of Jesus Christ was hanging...I
thought "How can He do it so Perfectly and so completely with every
person that has ever existed and that will ever exist?" So my attitude
here is exactly what Pres. Uchtdorf taught "Lift where you
stand"...Thats all I can do...So we will be quite busy with Branch
Business and with the Normal Missionary Work...

Thanks for all your support...and Congrats Zack on turning 12 and recieving the Aaronic Priesthood!

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Hello Everyone I hope everyone had a wonderful week of Summer...I also hope all could enjoy their 4th of July Activities...

This
week has been pretty crazy we had Leadership Conference on Tuesday and
another Training Progress Conference on Friday with All of the new
missionaries that are in training...The rest of the days we were working
on transfers...haha but we were still able to work a little bit more in
our area...

On
Monday we had an amazing 4th of July...All of the Office Elders were
invited to go over to the Mission Home for the whole afternoon...haha We
made hamburgers and hot dogs, made homemade ice cream, and sang
Patriotic Hymns haha it was by far the best 4th of July on the
Mission...It was great...I will attach some pictures...As time passes I
ponder and marvel on how great the United States is and how important it
was and is in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ...I am so
glad to have been born in such a great country...I hope and pray
everyday that God keeps blessing us as a country so that we may be able
to keep on helping others in the world. We have so much to be grateful
for indeed...

Once
again during this past week we had to make the Transfers in the
Mission...And once again I was reassured that everything that happens in
this Church is by Revelation...Every transfer was made with lots of
prayer and thought...Last transfer as I have commented, I felt strongly
that we should finally send Sister missionaries to a little town outside
of Hermsillo where not one Sister Missionary had been...ever...This
time it was a similar experience...Agua Prieta has been an Elder Only
Zone for about 5 years...for many reasons...however this week we all
felt that we should send the first sister missionaries there again...It
is kind of weird to think that Sister missionaries will now be in Agua
Prieta...but I know that God wants them there at this time. We felt a
reassurance everytime we prayed. When making a transfer, I felt very
strongly the hand of the Lord helping us, giving us ideas and talking
about them...At the end of this week...I know the 98 missionaries we
changed are going to the place where they are needed and with the
companion that can either help them or they can help their companion...

The
hardest transfer decision to make was mine...It is very weird making
your own transfers but in a group effort...everyone chimed in expressing
their thoughts...As everyone expressed their thoughts I felt the Holy
Ghost testifying of where I needed to go...In this moment I reflected to
all of my mission,every transfer, where I was and who was I with and
then I thought of every other assistant there had been and both of the
Mission Presidents I have had, and when they are making the
transfers...talking about me and my needs...and then with the Spirit..
They have all sent me Exactly where I needed to be and who I needed to
be with..I am so grateful for all of my Leaders that have followed the
Spirits Guide as they have made my transfers...I have strived to do the
same...

So
I have been transfered to go to a little town called Imuris, it is
about 30 minutes away from Magdalena, where I was about 10 months
ago...I will be working in the Branch Presidency and will be opening
area there haha...So in my whole mission the only time I will have not
opened area on a transfer is when I got into the offices haha..this is
very unusual...but every time I have had the opportunity to grow...so
this will be my 7th time having this opportunity haha...

I love you all and hope to talk to you soon...My P Day will now change back to Monday as I leave the offices...

Love Elder Child

Cutting up Snickers Bars to put in the Ice Cream...

Almost all of us...at the end of our Big Lunch!

The Relief after all of the Transfers were done...:)

Road Trip with President to find more little towns to send missionaries...

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Hope
everyone is doing just wonderful this week...We just got finished up
with the rest of the Zone Conferences this week...And it is quite the
relief...We now hope to get on a regular missionary schedule...and maybe
I can get some more sleep now...haha...These past 2 transfers in the
offices have probably been the most tiring transfers in my whole
mission...but it isnt just a physical tiredness it is an emotional and
mental tired as well...Worrying about every single missionary in the
whole mission and about their progression, and at the same time working
in your own area with your investigators/members with their own
needs...the weight just kind of catches up after a while....

A
few weeks ago though I had an amazing experience of the Enabling Power
of the Atonement...I remember very clearly one night where I had to
figure out quite a few problems that were happening in the mission, so I
spent most of the night on the phone with missionaries, and I also had
to prepare some trainings for a few conferences that we were going to
have, needless to say I got to bed late...and the next morning we had to
get up at 4 30 to drop missionaries off at the airport then we were
headed to a conference...At 4 30 when my alarm went off I was laying in
my bed thinking...Ya I am not sure if I can get up today, I felt like I
had no energy whatsoever...or in other words I was pooped...

I
kneeled down beside my bed and begged for the energy to get through the
day...In that moment a found a rush of energy come over me...I knew
that the Enabling Power of the Atonement had been applied to my
being...In that moment after I had said that prayer I sprang right up
and said What a Wonderful DAY! at the top of my lungs, and how it was a
great day...I had the energy and then some to be alert and excited in
all of our daily activities...since that day I have always asked for
this power to help me have the energy to keep on going...

I
am now using this energy that I have to help others...Sister Robinson
has trained to always have a Positive attitude...Reminding us that
P.A.C.E. really works (Positive Attitude Changes Everything) Every
morning and really every chance I get...I say positive comments...In the
morning I usually things like, What a wonderful day or Today is going
to be a great Day, and during the heat of the day I usually say, What a
gorgeous day even if it is 130 degrees outside haha it usually causes a
good laugh...I have found that PACE really does work...if everyone has a
more positive attitude even in the worst of times we can overcome this
troubles in our life a lot better...

Monday, June 27, 2016

Hello Everyone...I hope everyone had a great week last week...we were
able to have two more conferences so in total we have done 7 out of the 9
that we need to do...we will be finishing up with the Zone Conferences
this next week...This past week we were in Caborca and Peñasco (2 of my
favorite zones haha) It was a wonderful week with 2 of probably the
most spiritual Zone conferences that I have attended..We could just
really see and feel that the whole Zone was working hard and being super
obedient...It was an edifying experience...

After
our Conference in Peñasco, we had planned on doing exchanges with all
the Elders on Friday and Saturday...After the Conference however we had a
different feeling...we felt that we needed to leave right then and
there to go back to Hermosillo...kind of weird we told President, and
Sister Robinson took us to the bus stop with our clothes...we left
immediately and we got to Hermosillo at about 1 a.m. When I went to bed I
really didn't know exactly what to expect something the next day but I
felt very strongly we were in Hermosillo for a grand purpose... Friday
we got up, like normal, and got ready and started studying And while I
was studying I remembered a few Elders that are here in
Hermosillo...that I thought in my own mind were doing just fine and that
they were happy...but I felt like we were to have companion exchanges
with these Elders...I called them up and they were ecstatic to do
them...I told my companions and they were in agreeance...Later in the
day as we were on exchanges we found out that one of these missionaries
was just fine...He is always happy..A pretty happy go lucky type of
guy...An amazing missionary....the other missionary however (who is an
amazing District Leader) had gotten a little discouraged with his area
and with the mission in general...We might not know what would have
happened if we wouldn't have done those exchanges...After finding this
out I was filled with a wonderful spirit of gratitude...i am so grateful
for listening and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost...We were
able to help that missionary a ton, we took him to our area and he was
very grateful for the chance to do Exchanges...

So we finally found out why we had to be in Hermosillo on Friday...

As
I keep growing as a missionary I find that now my only purpose is to do
the Will of God...As we see the new missionaries getting to the mission
we usually ask them What they want to accomplish on their mission...the
majority say BAPTIZE! I have found that yes it is nice to baptize and
it is God's will that we baptize but I have found that that isn't my
full purpose...In these 22 months I have learned that while doing God's
will at all times I find peace and joy...I receive tons of blessings
everyday from this wonderful service, also as I do God's Will I receive
his confidence in every aspect of this wonderful Work of Salvation.

This week has been pretty crazy as well..haha there is always something to do here:)

We
had 3 zone conferences all of them were here in Hermosillo.. It was a
wonderful week...It was even better because after we ended the Zone
Conference we could leave and work in our own are...It is amazing how
much you can get done in 2 or 3 hours in the evening...haha There is a
little saying that is going around that says that --We Rest, While
Working...haha I didnt really understand that before getting to the
offices but now it is so nice taking a break from trainings and
conferences and GO and WORK! We have experienced so many miracles in
our area...There are truely too many to count...I love how we are
putting into practice everything we have ever taught in any training and
we are finding so many wonderful people...and having success... I
truely love the Mission Life...And as my time is winding down I am not
sure how I will make the transition to regular life...it will be kind of
weird...so good thing I have 2 months left to LIVE IT UP!!!

Monday, June 13, 2016

Hello Everyone...I hope everyone had a wonderful week...We had a pretty
crazy week here in the mission...We started out the week with the
monthly Leadership Conference with all of the Zone Leaders and Sister
Training Leaders...Which was an another amazing spiritually edifying
conference...I swear we have some of the best mission leaders in the
world haha...They are all really great... So we had that on Tuesday
Morning...Tuesday afternoon we were in the offices trying to get ready
for Zone Conferences....Wednesday we woke up at 4:30 am to travel to
Nogales to start with this new round of Zone Conferences...The Spirit
was so strong during every one of our trainings...In past conferences we
have talked about how we can teach better and how to find more people
to teach...This round we are talking strictly to missionaries about how
to be convirted to the Lord...One of our main topics is how we need to
remember all of the covenants we have made...Baptismal Covenants to
Temple Covenants...Many missionaries were edified by these wonderful
conferences...

So
we were in Nogales pretty much all day Wednesday...and to take a safer
route on our way to Agua Prieta we traveled on the U.S. side...It was
quite the experience to cross the border and see how different the U.S.
and Mexico are...Also on our litte journey we stopped at Sister
Robinsons favorite "american" restaurant...haha Panda Express...she
loves it and she wouldnt let us continue without stopping by...We got to
Agua Prieta at about 12 am and found a few Elders to stay with...then
we were up and at em again to have our second Zone Conference with the
Missionaries of Agua Prieta...Another Great learning experience for
all...

For
the rest of the week were able to do Companion Exchanges with almost
every companionship in Agua Prieta...It was great...We didnt have a P
Day but we figured that we will can have our P Day when we get done with
the mission...haha

A great week this week...cant wait for another week full of conferences and exchanges...

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Dont
have a lot of time today...but we had a wonderful first week of the
transfer...everyone got to their new area safe...even though it was kind
of hectic...haha but it was a great day Monday...we greeted new
missionaries at the airport at 8 o clock in the morning and were giving
them the First Day training... The next day we sent other missionaries
home...so spent a lot of time in the airport this past week...It is
crazy the enthusiasmo that the new missionaries bring to the
mission...Everyone so happy so excited...

This
week we also had quite a bit of time in our area teaching more
people...On one occasion we entered into a house that we just had
contacted, we noticed a young boy sitting on the bed with his legs
crossed...we continued trying to get to know the family and one by one
members of the family expressed what was their greatest desire in this
life... The young boy was up...it was his turn to express his greatest
desire...He said...to walk...We then found out that he was paralyzed
from the waist down and that he hadnt been able to walk for his whole
life...We almost started to cry...He is so tender and loving...We
expressed the love God has for him...After finishing up with the lesson
the young boy asked if we could take a picture with him...so attached
you will find a picture of this us and this young boy...We left the
house amazed that almost always we take for granted this wonderful
blessing... Later on in the week when missionaries would call me and
they would tell me of how many blisters they have on their feet or how
tired they were from so much walking I would explain to them of how
great a blessing it is to even be able to walk and tell them this story I
just described...It has changed a few missionaries mindsets while they
are walking...

From
this story I have realized a little more of how many things we do take
for granted...We are so blessed...We have so many blessings from our
Father in Heaven...We are so spoiled...

Love you all

Elder Child

Elder Schlappi and I with our wonderful little friend...:)

So funny story we got locked out of our house haha so using some Redneck
ingenuity, a concrete nail, a brick, and a used paint roller we finally
broke ourselves in...haha We just punched a hole through the metal door
and shoved the paint roller through the hole and opened the door :)

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Hope everyone had a great week...We had a wonderful week full of lots of Revelation...

In
the offices in the last week of the transfer it is pretty hectic
haha...The Assistants, the President and the Wife of the President all
meet in the Presidents office for about 5 hours everyday for a whole
week...We have a process to arrange the transfers...everything happens
for a purpose and for a reason...It is just spiritual experience after
spiritual experience..It is amazing the feelings I got to send
missionaries to other parts of the mission...to open and close
areas...and especially the strong feeling I got to send Sister
Missionaries to a little town outside of Hermosillo where not one sister
missionary has even gone before...One thing that I have learned this
week..that I cant even really think about my personal preferences when
choosing transfers...it is not my place...God knows exactly where to put
every missionary so we work until ALL of the transfers of the will of
God...It was a long process but everything is done and we are advising
the mission of the Transfers...we had quite a few almost every
companionship had transfers I believe there were 8 companionships that
didnt...haha

We
also had a little time in our area to find new people and teach
them...While knocking doors for about 1 hour we finally noted that
knocking doors would be tons better (and it is) when you are doing it
with the help of God....We found a secluded place on the street and
offered a prayer...In my prayer i said ...Father help us find a
Family...I felt the Spirit strongly in that moment and throughout the
rest of our Search... We were guided to a house and knocked on the
fence...A lady came out the door and we started talking her husband (a
huge army guys) walked up as well...They let us in without a single
problem and set out chairs below the starlit sky and we had an excellant
lesson...They were so interested in the Book of Mormon and were reading
it before we had even left haha...It was a wonderful family...We are
excited for them to go to church with us this week...

All in all a great week...just striving to do Gods will in every minute...

I sure love this Work

Love you all

Elder Child

Some wonderful lady gave us a huge slice of watermelon on a Very hot day...

Monday, May 23, 2016

I hope you all had a great week this past week and enjoying some wonderful Spring/Summer weather...

We
left Hermosillo Monday afternoon to head down to a city called
Guaymas...which is at the Southern side of the Mission...It was kind of
funny 2 weeks ago going to Penasco which is at the northern end and then
this past week in Guaymas on the complete opposite side of the
mission...We enjoyed Back to Back companion exchanges in this Tourist
Town...we ended up doing exchanges with all 7 companionships in the 4
days we were there...

It
was great..We are seeing these wonderful Elders progress in every
aspect of the work...It is amazing the difference in the Spirit we are
feeling as we are teaching with more clarity and simplicity then ever
before...It is also fun to see how a single day of intense work and
spiritual experiences can really boost the Faith and Motivation level of
the Missionaries... We love just giving our all to help everyone of
these Elders not just with their teaching abilities but with Spiritual
needs...Every night and every morning I focused my studies on each one
of the Elders...I gave them my All...And thanks to the Holy Ghost every
Elder has felt the love that I have for each and everyone of them, and
by this same Spirit Every Elder has been Motivated and has been Taught
what everyone of them has needed... It was a great week...full of
experiences...I sat down on the bus to come home and I crashed haha I
slept like a little baby for an hour and a half...We got to Hermosillo
and had about 3 hours to work...so we got to keep working in our area
haha...Luckily we got to go to the temple this morning :)))) And so I am
ready for another week... Woot Woot!!

Sorry the letter is so short...Love you guys

And Good Luck with Graduation everyone...

Love

Elder Child

First Exchanges in a little Town called Empalme...Elder Gonzalez y Elder Hernandez

Thursday, May 19, 2016

I hope your
week was wonderful...We had an amazing week this week running around
doing companion exchanges with all of the missionaries...

Sunday
I also had a chance to Skype the Fam...Everyone looks so great and
sound so good even though my little brothers voices are a little deeper
haha..On Sunday night we were invited to the Presidents house for a
Special Mothers Day Dinner...just the 4 assistants the President and the
Wife of the President...It was a very nice casual dinner where we ate
Sister Robinsons favorite dinner (Fried Tacos).haha and President had
cooked it all...we walked into the house and President had his apron on
working quickly in the kitchen and the Sister was relaxing...Brought
back so many memories of when we cooked the dinner for our Mom on
Mothers Day haha...We had our normal meetings Monday morning and our
companions left to Nogales that day to start exchanges there and one of
my Companions and I stayed back to teach some really important lessons
Monday night...then we left Tuesday afternoon to arrive in Penasco to
start more exchanges haha...We arrived late Tuesday night and then I
left alone to go to a town north of Penasco that is called Sonoyta
(border with Lukeville Arizona)...We had the best exchanges out of the
whole transfer...The missionaries are really progressing personally and
progressing in the branch there...

I
then headed back to Penasco on Thursday to have some exchanges with the
Zone Leaders...I got off the bus and I was walking with the Zone
Leaders heading to the church to grab another bike for me and we got
stopped 2 by members and investigators that recognized me it was
wonderful to just run into the wonderful members...But as I explained to
my family on Mothers Day that these exchanges are not just to visit old
friends from old areas...So we spent the whole day teaching new
investigators and new converts that I hadnt even known...It was so great
to see that area still growing and progressing, while there we went to
the First Branchs Branch Counsel...where I saw pretty much the same
leaders as I did about a year ago...haha But I felt like they looked at
me differently...Every decision that was made in the Counsel..they
always gave me time to comment saying Elder Child how can we do this
better...or what could we do in this situation...I always gave them my 2
cents (weird how I always had something to say haha I am turning into
my Mother) and the Counsel always took the comments well...It was a
great experience to be able to see the growth of the branch...exactly 1
year ago we were in a Branch Counsel and we put the goal to have an
average attendance of 200 people in Sacrament Meeting...(We were at 130
people) They gave an update that for these last 2 trimesters they have
had an average of 240 people attending Church) They now have the goal of
getting to the 300 mark...haha As I have said..this Branch is
progressing fast...We might split the branch but that is a work in
progress haha...

While
in Penasco on Thursday at about 7 o clock at night we got a phone call
from some Elders here in Hermosillo that were having some
difficulties..They, not knowing that we were 7 hours away, asked if we
could help them in their Studies the next day to give them some
help...we told them that we would be there...so we finished up with our
Exchanges for the day (luckily we had gotten to all of the Elders in the
Zone) headed to the Zone leaders house packed our stuff, while one Zone
Leader made us a dinner of beans and tortillas....ate some dinner then
headed out to the bus station at 12:30 A.M. Friday or half hour after
midnight and then Headed back to Hermosillo...It was quite the
experience traveling at night...It was very interesting why God puts us
where and when...I found myself sitting next to a young man that I
recognized as a member from the other Branch in Penasco...and we started
talking...about his life and future plans..I remember very clearly that
a year ago when I met him for the first time he was super excited to go
on a Mission...now he was not very excited to serve...So I spent a good
hour and a half talking to him and reading scriptures with him. He was
reexcited to serve...and he told me that we would start filling out his
papers in this week...after that conversation I slept like a baby..only
being interupted by other Babies that would start crying on the way...We
got to the bus station in Hermosillo at 7 in the morning, I quickly
brushed my teeth, washed my face, and fixed my hair in the bathroom,
took a taxi over to the Elders house and we started studying at 8...It
was pretty hectic but we could really help those Elders out...we hope
they will keep being happy and excited to be a part of this great
work...

Here
is my week in 3 paragraphs haha...I did a lot of traveling and running
around but I throughout this week I felt that God was putting me in
every situation for a specific reason...So it was a great tiring
week...but thanks to the Temple Session at 7 o clock this morning we are
pumped and ready to go this next week....

Monday, May 9, 2016

This
week has been quite edifying...We had a few major leadership meetings
this week....Almost 30 missionaries were in everyone of our
meetings...And all of the Elders from outside of Hermosillo stay with us
in our house the night before the meetings (The advantage of having 20
beds in your house)

So
last Monday night we were preparing our Training Discussions, and it
was pretty hard to figure out what we had to talk about the next day due
to all of the Elders in our house and the lack of reverence, The
Visiting elders were happy to see the others and playing ping pong (The
disadvantage of having a ping pong table haha) So as we tried to seccion
ourselves in the house we came up with a few points we wanted to
teach..It lasted quite a long time...When we got done with that...I was
exhausted so I headed to bed...The morning of our meetings I woke up
about 5:30 to turn on our gas water heater and to prepare my certain
Training parts...I went outside took in some good ol fresh air (just as
Dad does) and went inside to my desk knelt down asking for assistence in
my preparation and sitting down in my chair I felt the peace come to my
heart and mind...(It also helped that everyone else was asleep still)
Almost immediately I felt and knew what I needed to say and do...I wrote
down my notes in about 15 minutes and I was done haha..Just shows the
importance of a reverent home where the spirit can reside and so that
you can recieve revelation...It totally beat the 3 hours of preparation
that we did the night before in a very loud environment...

In my trainings I could feel strongly the Spirit as He guided me and gave me the correct words at the correct moment...

This
was one experience I could have this week...This upcoming week we will
be headed to do exchanges with other Zones outside of Hermosillo...So it
will be a week of Back to Back Exchanges...

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Hope you
guys have had a great week...We have had another great week... It is
very interesting my Role here in the Mission I am learning everyday how
to become a better missionary and a better leader...It is hard because
we have to put in a lot of time to helping missionaries, preparing
meetings, and doing the administrative parts of Leadership in the
Mission...Putting in this extra time is necessary but it does tire you
out haha...We spend a lot of the mornings in the offices working then we
go to lunch with a member, after that we are usually free to work in
our own area contacting and teaching...so by the end of the day we are
pretty dang tired...We keep on doing companion exchanges here in
Hermosillo and in every part of the mission... We are seeing a great
movement in the work...The missionaries are excited and everyone seems
to be finding and teaching lots of people...We continue this week with 3
meetings...1 with all of the Zone Leaders and Sister Leaders, another
with just sister leaders and a third with all of the District Leaders of
the Mission...so all of us will be pretty busy with that this
week...haha

Last
night I had a wonderful opportunity...Sandra is a Convert that I was
able to baptize in my last ward...her husband, almost a year and a half
ago, died and since then she had felt the need to come closer to
God...She was baptized 3 months ago and she called President asking if I
could be the proxy for her husbands baptism in the temple...the
President gave me permission and I was able to be a proxy in that
baptism last night...While I was there I saw a familiar face...It was
Eduardo from my last area as well...(it must have been ward temple night
haha) Eduardo was able to bring a few names of his family members to be
a proxy for them...After every Baptism he had a huge smile on his
face...it was just as big as the smile he had when he himself was
baptized almost 2 months ago...It was a great night for 2 great
converts...They felt and I know that the Baptisms that we performed last
night were completely valid unto God for these people...and that these
people even though they didnt get that chance to accept the Gospel here
on this world...they have or are having or will have the great
opportunity in the Spirit World to accept this wonderful plan...

Another
time this week we were talking with a young couple that have not been
sealed yet...We had planned the lesson the day earlier that we were
going to teach about the Sealing Ordinance...so we arrived at the
appointment and introduced the topic and the Sister related a story that
had happened a few days earlier...The Brother was sick with something
of the stomach the doctors warned that it might be Advanced Appendicitis
and that it might have been too late to do anything...Sister later told
us that after hearing the doctor tell her this the first thing that she
thought of was that She and her husband had not been sealed...The
thought scared her a lot...which got her super excited to meet with the
Bishop this Sunday to talk about what they need to do as a couple to be
able to get to the temple and recieve this great ordinance...Temples are
so great...I love them...I was thinking today while sitting in the
Celestial Room that wouldnt it be great if we could just live in the
temple...Or even greater if we could still live in our own homes and
feel as if we were living in the temple, And then I pondered how we
could make our homes feel like that...I will leave that with you guys to
ponder this week...

Monday, April 25, 2016

We
have had a crazy week greeting and training new missionaries, and also
saying goodbye to the Elders and Sisters that went home this last
week...I feel like I have spent 2 complete days in the Airport haha.
This whole week we have been doing companion exchanges with
companionships all around Hermosillo. My companions and I have had a
week full of miracles.

One
companion exchange I had with an Elder Maldonado...We were in a pretty
difficult area here in Hermosillo...We walked, contacted and walked and
contacted some more...all day long. We are trying to teach all of the
missionaries that walking is the same thing as working....So with this
Elder we walked from house to house, knocking doors all of the way to
our destinations. We ended up contacting more than 40 people and set
appointments to return with more than 20...Elder Maldonado...was really
excited to keep going...We had a very good day....At the end of a very
long day knocking doors, at 8:15 a man at last answered the door and was
super excited to hear our message...He let us in quick and offered food
and water and sat down with us...We discussed the Restoration of the
Gospel. Later he took the Book of Mormon, from our hands as a Celestial
Gift from God, as he accepted the invitation to read and pray... after
recieving the Book he was so excited to read it he started reading the
introduction before we could leave...At the end of the day I was able to
teach about the Diligence...and what blessings are in store for us if
we are Diligent...I returned to the house walking a little funny (like a
young cowboy after his first day back on the horse) and extremely
tired...

It
was a wonderful experience, I really noticed how much the other Elders
and Sisters look up to us as Mission Leaders...We hope to have this type
of experiences with all of the elders in the mission...that is the goal
any way ...

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

This
past week was pretty long...Elder Banda hurt his back so he couldnt walk
for a few days and the other days I got pretty sick so we couldnt do
much but we took advantage of the little time we both were feeling good
and we worked in the last week of this transfer...

I
did have transfers...I stayed in my same Zone but Now I will be working
in the Offices close to President....and here in the offices my P Days
will be Saturdays...and not Monday like everyone else....So that means
today was a regular work day haha...and we started out the day at 8 in
the morning recieving new missionaries from the Airport...We spent a
long part of the day in meetings with the new missionaries and the
trainers...I only have 10 hours in my current position and I have
learned a whole bunch of things it is so COOOOOOLLLL!!!!! This week we
have lots of things planned to do and it will be really busy...

I do not have much time to write but sure love you guys and hope all is well....

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

We had a
great week this last week...It seems like we knock on doors all day
everyday...but we finally are able to enter into a few houses by the end
of the day...

This has been my hardest area by far...But I have seen sooo many blessings...

Starting
our Transfers here my companion and I struggled to be able to get to
know the area and find new people to teach...we decided to fast...and in
one way or another we have been able to find people that are ready to
be baptized...In an area that "never baptizes" with Gods help we have
baptized and they are strong converts...We have been soo blessed...
Since our first fast that we had in this area we have continued
fasting...for various reasons...but we have fasted almost every week for
the past 12....I feel such a spiritual power that comes from the
fast....I felt pretty physically spent in these last 12 weeks but my
spirit makes my body keep going...

On
Saturday we were able to have a baptism of a Lady named Viviana...she
is the boyfriend of a member here....But what I love about this
situation is that Viviana was baptized for her self not for her
boyfriend...She has a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon after
having and studying a copy for more than a year. She knows the church is
true and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God....She also knows that
Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God...

Also
Another quick story about the other convert that was baptized a month
ago...Eduardo and I were sitting next to each other in Sacrament Meeting
and after we took the Sacrament he patted me on the Back and said
"Elder Child what an Honor....it is an honor for me to take of the
sacred emblems of Christs Sacrifice and remember Him" He understands
the importance of the Sacrament :) With an understanding of the
sacrament it will be hard for him to fall away...He has started a long
road to His Father in Heaven and He is sticking to the path...We love
him and we learn so much from him....